Intel next-gen Compute Sticks are expected to run on Core M processors, and will be much faster than their already available counterparts. Along with this, the chip-maker is planning to come up with a cheaper version of the device that will offer 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB storage space and the Ubuntu Linux operating system.
Upcoming Compute Stick will use Core M and Atom processors
Intel Compute Stick is essentially a small computer that integrates with a display system, such as a monitor or a TV, through HDMI ports, thus transforming the device into a complete PC. First released in April for a market price of $150, these devices include 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB storage memory, Windows 8.1 operating system and Intel’s Atom Z3735F Bay Trail processor. Moreover, the Compute Stick has a fan which starts to function once the CPU heats up. An Intel representative tells Notebook Italia, the fans were built into the compute sticks due to Intel’s aim to accommodate both Core M processors and Atom processors in future devices.
Further, the Core M processor will be a substantial upgrade over the current Atom processor as it generates more power, and has higher-performance graphics abilities than the latter. The core M is also faster, more energy-efficient and does not emit that much heat. Although the company has said nothing about the release date or the price of these compute sticks fitted with core M processors, some are predicting that the chip-maker might release the 6-generation chips inspired from the company’s latest ‘Skylake’ architecture first.
Intel Skylake processors soon
Separately, a recently revealed roadmap shows Intel Corp’s plan to launch 6th generation Skylake processors by the third-quarter of this year. Keep in mind the much-anticipated Skylake processors are expected to be more efficient than Broadwell processors. Among the 10 SKUs announced, Core i7-6700K and core i5-6600 K, termed as 95W processors, will be the most powerful. Core i7-6700K chip will be based on a quad-core design, and will able to sustain both DDR4 2133 MHz and DDR3L 1600 MHz memory. In addition, it will also feature 8 MB of L3 cache along with a speed of 4.0 GHz that could be further improved to 4.2 GHz.
